R&B singer Robert Sylvester Kelly, known as R Kelly, has formally appealed to former US president Donald Trump for a reduction of his 31-year prison sentence. The appeal, filed with the Department of Justice, requests commutation but not a full pardon.

Kelly, 59, was found guilty in 2021 of leading a criminal enterprise that recruited women and underage girls for illegal sexual activity and pornography, resulting in a 30-year prison sentence. In 2022, he was convicted on three counts of child abuse images and three counts of child enticement, receiving a 20-year sentence served mostly concurrently, bringing his total to 31 years.

He is currently incarcerated at a federal prison in North Carolina and is not eligible for release until January 2046.

Kelly's lawyer, Beau Brindley, has been lobbying Trump publicly for over a year. In 2025, Brindley filed an emergency motion seeking Kelly's immediate release to home detention, citing threats to the singer's life, including allegations that three prison officials orchestrated a plot involving a terminally ill inmate to kill Kelly in exchange for early release.

Support resources for those affected by sexual abuse are available internationally, including Rainn in the US (800-656-4673), Rape Crisis in the UK (0808 802 9999), and 1800Respect in Australia (1800 737 732).

Sources